How a teacher greets students, takes care of logistics, and begins his or her lessons is CRUCIAL! During this observation, focus on how class begins. Where is your CT before class begins? What is he or she doing? Using the clock on the wall, determine when your CT establishes order and begins class. How did she/he start their lesson? How is homework from the previous night reviewed/collected/assessed? How does your CT engage students during the opening of the lesson?
I was able to spend a full day with both of my CTs this week. My Biology CT begins class by standing in the hall to monitor student behavior. The teacher also took this time to speak with other teachers and did not really interact with the students. The teacher occasionally greeted a student. I think it is important to greet each student by name as they enter your class to help set the tone of respect and interest in your students. My Chemistry CT also stood in the hall during class change. The teacher also spoke to other teachers during this time, but they were much more interactive with the students. They said greeted students by name as they entered the room and occasionally asked the students questions about their day.
The Chemistry CT has a Do Now for the students to do as they enter the room. They have a routine set into place so that students get out their notebooks and copy the day's assignment, objective, and quote. This gets them in their seat and ready to begin class.
The Biology CT did not seem to have a routine or Do Now for the students, but I have only been their for one day and the students knew they were finishing a lab. To begin class the teacher greeted the class and reminded them that they were completing a lab that day. She asked them to get their needed materials and she reminded them of a few things they would need to know for the lab. The students settled in quickly and they did not lose any class time.
The Chemistry CT begins the lesson be pointing out the day's topic, objective, and agenda or asking a student what they are doing that day. I like that the objective is clearly written for the students to see so they know the goal of the class and what they should be able to do at the end of the lesson. This promotes self-evaluation. By having the objective, the student can reflect and decide if the lesson was successful for them or if they need to go back and study the material/ask questions.
The Biology CT reminded the class that they had a test coming up in a week. The teacher also uses text messages to notify students of upcoming tests, which I really liked. It was a little awkward when a student had to tell her (in front of the class) that he had not paid his cell phone bill and did not receive the text or the study materials (which were sent in the text). While I think the reminder text is a great tool I would use it as a supplement to avoid embarrassing students.
Both CTs use technology to supplement student learning and make learning materials accessible outside of the classroom. The biology CT uses the school website and uploads all of the handouts/youtube videos and other materials. The students are required to take quizzes online and complete homework on the website. The Chemistry CT uses OneNote in a very similar fashion. He explained that he liked the organization of the other system much better, but OneNote had a lot of other tools that were useful to him and the students. He hopes that by using it the students become familiar enough with it that the organization is not a major issue. He was able to take pictures of the classes work and upload them to the class OneNote, which was really cool and allowed the students to have tangible evidence of the day's work even though it was group-work that was completed on a whiteboard.
Neither CT had a super interesting "hook" to start their lessons, but I do not think it detracted from learning. While hooks are great for engagement, I think it would be difficult to always have a new and exciting way to begin class.
I was able to spend a full day with both of my CTs this week. My Biology CT begins class by standing in the hall to monitor student behavior. The teacher also took this time to speak with other teachers and did not really interact with the students. The teacher occasionally greeted a student. I think it is important to greet each student by name as they enter your class to help set the tone of respect and interest in your students. My Chemistry CT also stood in the hall during class change. The teacher also spoke to other teachers during this time, but they were much more interactive with the students. They said greeted students by name as they entered the room and occasionally asked the students questions about their day.
The Chemistry CT has a Do Now for the students to do as they enter the room. They have a routine set into place so that students get out their notebooks and copy the day's assignment, objective, and quote. This gets them in their seat and ready to begin class.
The Biology CT did not seem to have a routine or Do Now for the students, but I have only been their for one day and the students knew they were finishing a lab. To begin class the teacher greeted the class and reminded them that they were completing a lab that day. She asked them to get their needed materials and she reminded them of a few things they would need to know for the lab. The students settled in quickly and they did not lose any class time.
The Chemistry CT begins the lesson be pointing out the day's topic, objective, and agenda or asking a student what they are doing that day. I like that the objective is clearly written for the students to see so they know the goal of the class and what they should be able to do at the end of the lesson. This promotes self-evaluation. By having the objective, the student can reflect and decide if the lesson was successful for them or if they need to go back and study the material/ask questions.
The Biology CT reminded the class that they had a test coming up in a week. The teacher also uses text messages to notify students of upcoming tests, which I really liked. It was a little awkward when a student had to tell her (in front of the class) that he had not paid his cell phone bill and did not receive the text or the study materials (which were sent in the text). While I think the reminder text is a great tool I would use it as a supplement to avoid embarrassing students.
Both CTs use technology to supplement student learning and make learning materials accessible outside of the classroom. The biology CT uses the school website and uploads all of the handouts/youtube videos and other materials. The students are required to take quizzes online and complete homework on the website.
The Chemistry CT uses OneNote in a very similar fashion. He explained that he liked the organization of the other system much better, but OneNote had a lot of other tools that were useful to him and the students. He hopes that by using it the students become familiar enough with it that the organization is not a major issue. He was able to take pictures of the classes work and upload them to the class OneNote, which was really cool and allowed the students to have tangible evidence of the day's work even though it was group-work that was completed on a whiteboard.
Neither CT had a super interesting "hook" to start their lessons, but I do not think it detracted from learning. While hooks are great for engagement, I think it would be difficult to always have a new and exciting way to begin class.